Cavs Revamping Their Bench? That’s Good

While we were not enamored by the sign and trade move made by the Cleveland Cavaliers over the weekend to get Max Strus, we didn’t have a problem with a couple of moves late Saturday.

The Cavs signed combo guard Ty Jerome and center Damian Jones to bolster the team’s bench, and after all, that was a weakness for the wine and gold a year ago.

Jerome is a 6’5″ backcourt player who can play the point and the #2 spot, and no doubt Cleveland can use some size at guard. The only issue for him is can he play 82 games. The most he has ever played is 48 with Oklahoma City in 2021-22.

The former Virginia standout can shoot, 38.9% from three and perhaps more importantly, 92.7% from the free throw line. He was also a starter on Virginia’s national championship team.

We think Ricky Rubio will be better the second year coming off knee surgery, but will Jerome get more minutes once the season starts? Or will Rubio be used in another trade.

As for Jones, this may sound a bit snarky, but we like this because he’s a legitimate NBA big man and he’s not over 30 years old. In the last couple of years, Cleveland has tried veterans like Ed Davis and Robin Lopez to back up Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, and neither has anything left.

Jones (6’11”) is 28 and played 41 games with the Lakers and Jazz last season. He scored 3.5 points and grabbed 3.0 boards in 11 minutes per game. He’s decent and serviceable, but we would still like to see Altman grab yet another backup at power forward and center.

We seriously doubt Koby Altman and Mike Gansey are done putting together this roster, but we do have to laugh at those including rookie Emoni Bates in the team’s depth chart. Bates is going to play in the G-League this season, working to get stronger and his overall game.

He may get a shot here and there if injuries hit the Cavs, but he was the 49th pick, not the 9th pick. We would say neither Altman, Gansey, nor coach J.B. Bickerstaff is counting on anything from Bates this season.

One player we are not seeing on depth charts is a draft pick from 2022, 6’7″ Luke Travers, who played in the Australian National League the past four years. Travers averaged 9.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and three assists last season. He might be the kind of complete, all-around player (with some size) that Cleveland needs.

He will play in the NBA Summer League along with another ’22 draft pick, 7’1″ Khalifa Diop. who played in Liga Endesa last season, averaging 8 points and 5 boards per contest. We want to see how he will fare against the draft picks and second year guys in Las Vegas.

We have said the Cavs needed to add size and scoring for this season, but they also needed to redo their bench, which they received little production from, especially after they benched Kevin Love.

Getting Georges Niang, Jerome, and Jones should help, but we have a suspicion they some of the players who made up the reserve unit a year ago, won’t be back. And we have no issue with that.

JB Seems To Want Another Big. Go Get Him One.

Since the middle of this NBA season, we have been concerned about the Cleveland Cavaliers not having enough depth of big men.

They start one of the best duos in the league with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. But the signing of Robin Lopez is fine if he is going to play once a week for about ten minutes, but if he is pressed into service longer or more frequently than that the Cavs have a problem.

Some folks have the opinion that in the playoffs Allen and Mobley will play about 40 minutes per game, so there is no reason to bring in another player who can handle center or power forward, but we like to have our bases covered.

Allen’s recent eye injury brought the need for another decent big man into focus (no pun intended). Yes, Cleveland has won three of the four games without their starting center, but they lost to Philadelphia, who of course has MVP candidate Joel Embiid.

Lopez got eight minutes the first game Allen was out and the Cavs were a minus 9 in those minutes. He hasn’t been in a game since.

Dean Wade got the opportunity the next game, another win over the lowly Hornets, and he provided no points (on four shots) and more concerning, no rebounds in 19 minutes! The exclamation point is for someone 6’9″ playing that long without accidentally getting a rebound.

Against Philly, coach J.B. Bickerstaff dusted off two-way player Mamadi Diakite, who had played all of 16 games with the Cavs this season, and he played nine minutes, totaling two points and a rebound. He then played 12 minutes in the win over Washington, getting two points, five boards, and picking up five fouls.

We realize there is no question Allen and Mobley will play the bulk of the minutes once the playoffs start. But what if they have to miss time? If it is a long-term injury, the Cavaliers are probably screwed anyway, but what if either has to miss a game? Or one of them gets into foul trouble?

Does Bickerstaff really want to trust Diakite to play 15-18 minutes in the playoff game? And based on the Wizards’ game, could he last 15 minutes without fouling out?

After the Sixers’ game, the coach said he felt the team was short on big men, shorter than he is comfortable in being. So why don’t Koby Altman and Mike Gansey get him another player with the ability to play the #4 or #5 spot?

They used the roster spot created with the Kevin Love buyout to sign another wing, 6’4″ Sam Merrill, who has played in just two games since his arrival on March 3rd. And that was after signing Danny Green on the buyout market. He’s appeared in four games.

We understand Green’s experience may help come playoff time, but why get another wing like Merrill when there is clearly no playing time available for him.

The front office could still go out and get another big man before the playoffs, but they would have to cut someone. Maybe that’s why Diakite has played the last two games, they are seeing if he can be a contributor going forward.

The Cavs have made it a priority to get into the playoffs, the real seven game series playoffs this season. Why not go out and get an insurance policy for the post-season if Allen or Mobley have to miss some time next month?

It just makes too much sense.

No Trades For Cavs, But Green Is Coming. Anyone Else?

The Cleveland Cavaliers seemed to have found an elixir to their January malaise and have reeled off six straight victories, pushing them into fourth place in the Eastern Conference, which would give them home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

It was a bit surprising that Koby Altman and Mike Gansey did not pull off a trade at the deadline, mostly because only four teams in the league did not make a deal.

As we have been saying over the last month, we felt the Cavs needed a big more than a wing heading into the post-season, but the front office didn’t do that either, although it looks as though Cleveland will be signing veteran free agent Danny Green, recently traded from Memphis to Houston, and then bought out by the Rockets.

Green has only played three games this season, recovering from a knee injury, but he brings some length at the wing position and he’s a career 40% shooter from three-point range. Cleveland could use another reliable shooter from outside.

Green’s signing will take place after he passes through waivers, which should happen later today.

It will be interesting to see if Altman grabs another big man that comes available on the buyout market.

Right now, the Cavaliers have Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley starting at center and power forward, respectively, but they really don’t have anyone else with size that they can trust with meaningful minutes.

The team’s third big is probably 6’9″ Dean Wade, who is more of a wing to our way of thinking. He plays more offensively and defensively on the perimeter, and he is a very good defender out there. Kevin Love has fallen out of the rotation and although he still can rebound, he doesn’t match up with many opposing big men who operate in the paint.

Robin Lopez is still on the roster but doesn’t have the lateral quickness needed to defend in today’s NBA. We wondered the other night why Bickerstaff didn’t use him when the Bulls put Andre Drummond in the game. There aren’t many players he could match up against.

We were interested in Dewayne Dedmon, recently let go by Miami, but he decided to sign with the Sixers, just ahead of the wine and gold in the standing. Dedmon is a seven-footer who played in 30 games with the Heat, scoring 5.6 points and grabbing 3.7 boards. And over the past couple of years, he’s developed a little range from behind the arc, hitting 11 of 37 threes this season.

If J.B. Bickerstaff could get five minutes a game out of an added big man, that’s an extra two and a half minutes of rest for Allen and Mobley per game for the rest of the season. And if one of them has to miss a game, there’s a legitimate big man to substitute in.

It’s seems to us that this recent hot stretch has featured Mobley and Allen more on the offensive end, the Cavaliers are making a concerted effort to get them the ball early in games so they can work inside out. The pair and making 55.4% and 65.3% of their shots from the floor respectively.

The Cavs are going to need their two big men in the playoffs and getting them even a little more rest during the remaining schedule should help them in April and May. Especially because both are so active defensively.

Does the front office feel the same way?

Wine And Gold Bench Not Getting It Done

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a red-hot start to the season. After losing their opener to Toronto, they reeled off eight straight wins, several of them without All-Star guard Darius Garland, who was poked in the eye in the first game of the season.

Everything was clicking for J.B. Bickerstaff’s crew, Cedi Osman got off to a great start shooting the three ball, Dean Wade scored a career high 22 points in a comeback win over New York. And they beat Boston on the road in overtime with Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert both scoring 41 points.

But on the west coast trip, the Cavs were going for win #9 and led the Clippers in the fourth quarter, but lost, starting a five-game losing streak that ended Friday night in a double overtime win over Charlotte.

Sometimes it’s difficult to get a victory after a long losing streak, and hopefully now that the wine and gold got back in the win column, they can right the ship. But some holes did spring up during the losing skein.

Jarrett Allen missed a couple of games with an ankle problem, and that exposed a size problem. Allen and Evan Mobley are a big reason Cleveland succeeds defensively (they are still 4th in defensive efficiency), but they are the only rim protectors on the roster.

With Allen in there, Mobley can get out an defend on the perimeter where his length bothers smaller players, as it did at the end of the first overtime Friday night against Terry Rozier.

The only other experienced interior big man is Robin Lopez, signed in the off-season as a free agent. Lopez is a seven footer, but is slow, and not really a shot blocker. And quite frankly, we don’t think he can be out there for 25 minutes a game if something happened to Allen or Mobley and they couldn’t play for a stretch of games.

Since the winning streak ended, the bench hasn’t provided much, meaning Bickerstaff has a very top-heavy roster.

They have four all-star caliber players in Mitchell, Garland, Allen, and Mobley, and two solid veterans in Kevin Love, who could be out for a while with a hairline fracture of his thumb, and LeVert, meaning the depth folks thought the Cavaliers had is no longer there.

As noted earlier, Osman and Wade had great starts to the season, but the former hasn’t been good lately and Wade has been hurt but followed up the 22 point game with a scoreless one. No doubt, Bickerstaff needs both to step up and provide production each and every night.

After not getting much time early in the season, Lamar Stevens has taken advantage of the injuries and has started to get minutes again, getting at least 29 in last three contests, averaging 9.3 points in those games. He’s solid and deserves to keep getting minutes, probably at the expense of Isaac Okoro who is really struggling, especially on the offensive end.

Raul Neto got playing time while Garland was out, but since the Cavs went west, he’s been AWOL.

That leaves Bickerstaff with six solid players, guys he can depend on every night. That’s not enough, particularly for a time with playoff aspirations.

The first thing that needs to happen is someone, notably Osman and Wade, need to step up, but it doesn’t have to be one of those two, they are just the most likely candidates. It could be Okoro too, but he seems to have lost confidence in his offensive game right now.

Maybe it’s a slump for the bench crew, or perhaps we were all just fooled by the eight-game winning streak. But if this team wants to avoid the play in tournament, they need depth that Bickerstaff can rely on.

Time for some players to step up

Cavs Could Use Another Big

Cleveland Cavaliers’ president of basketball operations Koby Altman has done a remarkable job of building the roster from ashes after LeBron James departed as a free agent.

After three dismal seasons, the Cavs returned to league relevance last season, and even after a four-game losing streak, the wine and gold are off to a solid start this year.

He drafted Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley and smartly got involved with the James Harden trade to Brooklyn, picking up Jarrett Allen in that transaction.

During the summer, he swung perhaps the league’s biggest trade, getting Donovan Mitchell from Utah in a package that included Sexton, giving the Cavaliers perhaps the NBA’s best starting backcourt.

One thing we would like to see an improvement on is the back end of the roster. After a fast start, the Cavs’ bench hasn’t contributed the past few games, getting only consistent minutes from veteran Kevin Love.

We understand Ricky Rubio and Love will eventually be the backbone of the reserves, and Rubio is likely out until January recovering from knee surgery. He will be a big boost to the second unit if he plays like he did last season before he was injured.

And hopefully, between Cedi Osman (continues to be wildly inconsistent), Isaac Okoro (great defender, but offensively is a mystery), and Lamar Stevens (doesn’t get enough playing time), J.B. Bickerstaff can find someone who can contribute on a nightly basis.

The depth at guard seems to be fine. Rubio will be back soon, and Caris LeVert, who is starting at small forward, can play there as well. But right now, the depth in the front court could be a problem as the season moves on.

Altman signed Robin Lopez as a free agent and he has played limited minutes, getting into just eight games, playing 75 minutes. And he’s really the only reverse behind Allen and Mobley who is a true inside player. When Allen is out of the lineup, like he has been the last two nights, the Cavs are severely limited.

Love rebounds very well, but isn’t a great interior defender any more.

Mobley struggled guarding Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert and Karl Anthony-Towns last Sunday and having to use him as a rim protector takes away his ability to guard on the perimeter.

We would also say Lopez is an upgrade over Ed Davis, but remember, last year’s squad also had Lauri Markannen, who could slide over to the power forward spot whenever Allen or Mobley were on the bench or out of action.

So, what we are really trying to say is the Cavs are operating one big man short.

Just being curious, but perhaps Cleveland could have packaged the three second round picks they had in the last draft to get another big guy, either in a deal with another team or trading back up in the first round, maybe Walker Kessler, who was taken at #22?

They did take 7’1″ Khalifa Diop from Senegal at #39, and he is averaging 5.7 and 3.8 rebounds in the EuroCup League. They also chose Isaiah Mobley (brother of Evan) at #49. He’s played in one game for the Cavs this season and will get most of his minutes in the G League this year.

And they took Australian Luke Travers at #56, and he’s scoring 7.8 points a game in the land down under.

Little to show for those three picks.

We know, we know, there is still plenty of time to revamp the roster before the trade deadline in February. Until then, there is no question the wine and gold are short on some size.

Hopefully, Allen and Mobley stay healthy.

Cavs Ink A Trio, But Haven’t Addressed A Huge Need.

The NBA free agency period started last week, and the Cavaliers did sign three players to help the 2022-23 roster, although they still haven’t addressed their biggest need.

We are sure every fan of the wine and gold are thrilled by the return of Ricky Rubio. The veteran was a key to the Cavs fast start last season, averaging 13.1 points and 6.6 assists in 34 games before tearing his ACL, and then being dealt to Indiana right before the trade deadline.

Rubio provided a veteran playmaking role and was a great mentor to Darius Garland.

He likely will not be able to play until January, so the front office went out and signed another veteran point guard in Raul Neto, who has averaged 8.1 points over the last two seasons with Washington. He had a three to one assist to turnover ratio last year and will be Garland’s backup until Rubio is ready.

They also added veteran big man Robin Lopez. And for those questioning adding another center, remember the Cavaliers were forced to use Moses Brown when Ed Davis showed he could no longer provide quality minutes. He did average 7.1 and 3.5 boards in 36 games with Orlando last season.

However, the team still needs help at the wing position. Yes, they did draft Ochai Agbaji, who should help, but he’s a rookie. You simply cannot count on him.

When looking at the team’s depth chart, we will assume for now Caris LeVert as the starter at the #2 spot, so the starters would be Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Lauri Markkanen up front with Garland and LeVert at the guards.

Who is the next five? Obviously, Kevin Love and Collin Sexton (assuming he’s resigned) and Neto will be in the mix. Folks are going to mention players like Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, and Isaac Okoro, but we would submit those guys aren’t good enough if you are a playoff contender.

Those guys can be contributors and can help in spots, but really the wine and gold need a veteran, someone they can count on.

Stevens and Okoro are solid defenders, but opposing teams aren’t really going to devote much attention to them on the offensive end. Okoro did hit 35% of his three pointers a year ago, it’s just that he’s hesitant to shoot. Stevens is a solid guy, and normally knows what he can and can’t do on the floor. That’s a good thing.

But if you have your sights set on home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, which Cleveland should, your second unit has to be better.

We also have to mention the strategy for the three second round picks in the draft were odd. Two of the three picks are guys (Khalifa Diop and Luke Travers) who clearly won’t be playing in the NBA this season, and the third is Mobley’s brother.

That doesn’t really help this year’s team.

Now, we are very early in the off-season, so there is plenty of time to improve the roster, so no time to be really concerned as of yet. But although we don’t have a problem with the free agents the Cavs inked, they still haven’t addressed a big need.